as in blushing
to develop a rosy facial color (as from excitement or embarrassment)
his face reddened when she flashed him a dazzling smile
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Recent Examples of reddening
His huddles at times resemble a family Sunday supper after the conversation turns to politics – everyone yelling, nobody listening, Izzo’s face reddening and a whiteboard left broken, the innocent victim of all the arguing (though they are rumored to be pre-cut to avoid splintering).
—
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026
Warning signs include yellowing within a week of infestation, purpling or reddening of leaves, stunting despite adequate moisture, weakening root systems and patchy areas of thinning or dead grass.
—Christina Shaw, FOXNews.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Angine desperately returns to the store, again and again, to get her fix from Malaise, her face reddening from blood just below the surface, a canvas of her awakened desire.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025
The front lawn falls steeply away from the house and on down to the fence, a garden overgrown with reddening watsonias.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Visible light has been shown to trigger erythema, or skin reddening, in lighter skin.
—Andrea Muraskin, NPR, 23 Aug. 2025
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026
Warning signs include yellowing within a week of infestation, purpling or reddening of leaves, stunting despite adequate moisture, weakening root systems and patchy areas of thinning or dead grass.
—Christina Shaw, FOXNews.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Angine desperately returns to the store, again and again, to get her fix from Malaise, her face reddening from blood just below the surface, a canvas of her awakened desire.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025
The front lawn falls steeply away from the house and on down to the fence, a garden overgrown with reddening watsonias.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Visible light has been shown to trigger erythema, or skin reddening, in lighter skin.
—Andrea Muraskin, NPR, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reddening
Verb
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Sink and Jupe’s chemistry is palpable, and their first kiss is slow and sweet, with Sink’s face blushing a blazing red.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
1 Apr. 2026
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The New York Times bestselling author known for her young adult romantasy series Lightlark and her enemies-to-lovers romance Summer in the City, is tackling adult romantasy for the first time with her new novel Starside — a book that will leave you blushing on your morning commute.—
Katie Hill,
PEOPLE,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Engineers suspect a clogged filter in the overboard flushing system.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
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Engineers suspect ice may be blocking the line that is preventing urine from completely flushing overboard.—
Marcia Dunn,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Images taken from inside the Orion capsule have shifted from solely highlighting the glowing spectacle of Earth as seen from a cosmic perspective to refocusing on the moon as the mission draws closer to the silvery orb.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, some of the survey’s 100 multiple-choice questions gave city officials a different not-so-glowing look at operations within the police department.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reddening. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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